Dates Traveled: September 2001
(I’d also traveled here in September 1992, but that trip is without details)

After consuming as much chocolate as is humanly possible in Switzerland, we made a one-night stop in the Black Forest region of Germany before heading on to Paris. Hit the main sites - Notre Dame and it’s stained glass Rose window, Tuileries gardens, Champs Elysees, top of the Arc de Triomphe to observe the chaotic driving below as 6-8 streets try to manage the roundabout that is the Arc de Triomphe, and finished the evening by getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower and overlooking all of Paris. We also took the train out to Versaille where we wandered the ornate interior and the beautiful gardens outside. Back in Paris we checked out the Louvre - Nike of Somathrace, Venus de Milo, and Mona Lisa, among many other works of art. Bit of a convoluted place, but spectacular nevertheless. Last comment on France - they seem more eager to speak English now than they did 9 years ago.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited France back in September of 1992. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I took the boat across the English Channel to Calais, and carried on by train to Paris. After spending time in Paris, I caught the TGV to Lyon and then on into Switzerland.